ETX family’s donation changes lives of people with special needs

EUSTACE, TX (KLTV) - An East Texas family has made a generous donation to help two people in need.

After Chris Holman's dog Roshe had her first litter of puppies, Holman said he thought long and hard about who they were meant for.

"I thought, well, you know, we better give the other dog to help someone that can benefit from a service animal," says Holman.

The Holman family thought of Kooper,11, who has Periventricular Leukomalacia and Cerebral Palsy.

"Of course it's going to be awesome for Kooper," says Jessica Csy, Kooper's mother. "It will be extremely beneficial, but that in turn makes it extremely beneficial as parents for us."

Friday afternoon, as Kooper met his new best friend, the Holman's last remaining puppy was trying out for an honorable role as well.

"I read an article about how service dogs were improving the lives of veterans," says Holman. "It touched me and I thought you know we need to give one to be trained to be a service dog for a veteran."

Bonnie Hoard, is the training director for Patriot Paws, a non-profit that provides service dogs to veterans free of charge. Before accepting the Holman's puppy into the Patriot Paws program, Hoard came to their home to make sure the dog was fit to serve a veteran.

"The test that I put before her everything to scare her it didn't really phase her," says Hoard. "She went back a couple times which is normal, but she came back and investigated which is exactly what we're looking for."

Hoard says service animals have to be brave, and able to deal with the many noises and distractions of the real world.

Training a service animal can cost upwards of $30,000, so Hoard says the Holman's donation will help cut costs, so they can help more veterans.

Kooper's family is still looking for an organization to train his new service dog, so they have started a GoFundMe to cover the cost.

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